When you come across a game of craps, there’s a good chance that it will employ the standard rules. However, variations on craps do exist, and the following are some of the most common:

Simple Craps – In this basic version of the game, the player wins on a roll of 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, and 12. If a 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 is rolled, the player loses.

High Point Craps – A player wins if they get an 11 or 12 on their first roll. If a 2 or 3 are thrown on the initial roll, the dice are returned to the player for another try. Any number from 4 to 10 can be established as the point, and the player must exceed that total on their next roll.

Crapless Craps – The player can’t lose on the come out roll, but the only automatic winner is the 7. Since the house edge is nearly quadrupled, most experienced players avoid this game.

Die Rich Craps – A single die is used in this version of the game, and the player wins on the come out roll by getting a 6. The pass line bet loses on a 1, and the numbers 2 through 5 establish the point. The player then gets three rolls to make the point, and the payout fluctuates with the number of rolls. Rolling a 1, however, always results in a loss.

Chuck a Luck – Three dice are rolled from a shaker, and players wager on a number from 1 to 6. The bettor wins according to how many times their chosen number comes up on the roll. While it’s closer to sic bo than craps, novice players may confuse the two.

New York Craps – There are several differences in the rules, but the biggest is that Come and Don’t Come wagers aren’t allowed. This variant can be found on the East Coast, as well as certain parts of Europe.

Best Craps Bets

If you want to reduce the casino advantage as low as possible, stick with the following wagers.

Pass Odds- If the come-out roll results in a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the player can take odds by wagering a set multiple of the pass line bet. This new wager wins if the point is made, and it pays at the following odds: 2:1 for a 4 or 10; 3:2 for a 5 or 9; and 6:5 for a 6 or 8.

Don’t Pass Odds – Like the previous wager, except this time the player is betting on a 7 to be rolled after the point has been established. Pays 1:2 against a 4 or 10; 2:3 against a 5 or 9; and 5:6 against a 6 or 8.

Worst Craps Bets

Craps at US casinos provide a lot of fun betting options, but some of them are heavily slanted in favor of the house. If you want to gamble smart, always avoid the following wagers:

Any 7 – Pays 4:1if the shooter rolls a 7. Unfortunately, the house edge is 16.67%.

World – Pays 26:5 if a 2 or 12 are rolled and 11:5 on a 3 or 11. If a 7 comes up, the result is a push. The house edge is 13.33%.

The Art of Dice Control

If you’re playing craps games online, this won’t be an option. For the land-based player, however, dice control is an interesting strategy that’s intended to negate the random nature of the game. The player positions the dice in his hand and tosses them in such a way that they graze the back wall instead of bouncing off.

Casinos frown on dice control, so hours of practice are needed to perfect its execution. Some Gamblingpedia.org experts argue that it’s impossible to determine the outcome of the roll with any consistency, although there are players who claim over 100 throws in a row using this method.

It’s commonly known that Vegas is the place where one can legally wager on just about anything, provided the books offer the proposition bet(s). Gamblers love to put their money on weird wagers, especially around Super Bowl time. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the ban on sports betting, we just might see more uncanny bets being offered in states that bid for sports books. Weird wagers are not unique to Vegas. The U.K also gets in on the action.

Here’s a collection of some of the most bizarre, weirdest, wackiest wagers ever made:

1979: The late Jackie Gaughn, owner of the El Cortez hotel in downtown Vegas, posted odds when the faltering U.S. satellite Skylab, was about to crash to earth. The odds were put up on where it would crash: 5/1 for one of the five oceans, 12/1 into the Soviet Union, 100/1 on California soil, 2,000/1 for a hit in tiny Rhode Island, and even 10,000/1 that it would crash into the El Cortez! Turns out it landed in Australia at 30/1.

1980: From the popular TV show Dallas: “Who shot JR?” Wagers were taken at the Castaways Hotel with odds on every cast member prior to the season ending cliff hanger episode, but the Gaming Control Board ordered a halt to all betting because someone had to have a script that knew the answer.

1981: Amidst the ongoing controversy over the murder of President John F. Kennedy, the grave of alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was about to be exhumed to confirm identity. The sports book at the Union Plaza was quick to jump on the proposition bandwagon on whose body would be in the coffin. Odds were posted for: a Soviet agent, Jack Ruby (Oswald’s assassin) or an empty coffin. Due to concerns about the virtue of such a wager, the gaming commission put a lid on it. Turns out it was Oswald after all.

In the UK, it was 500/1 that the FBI will confirm that Elvis is still alive and another 500/1 that Michael and LaToya Jackson are one in the same.

UK bookmakers also offered 1,000/1 that Tiger Woods would become President of the US and 5,000/1 that Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky would marry.

A London resident named Matthew Drumbell placed a 1,000,000/1 wager that the world would end before the year 2000. Of course, who would be left to pay him if he survived? No pun intended on the man’s name.

During Super Bowl week in Vegas $ millions are tossed across the betting terminals to wager on one’s favorite team, and some weird bets as well. Here are some of Super Bowls’ past prop bets:

· Will singer Kelly Clarkston omit or mess up one or more words in the National Anthem? How long will it take her to sing it? Over/Under 1 minute, 34 seconds. Will her bare belly be showing when she sings it?

· If Quarterback Tom Brady’s son is shown on TV during the game, will he be wearing a Tom Brady Jersey?

· How many times will Patriots owner Robert Kraft be shown on TV during the game?

· What will be the first touchdown celebration? A ball spike, a dance, lay on the ground, a goalpost dunk, a Tim Tebow kneel, or kiss a cheerleader?

· What color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning team’s head coach? Yellow, orange, clear, red, green, blue? (Yellow was favorite.)

· Who will the Super Bowl MVP thank first in his post-game interview? Teammates, God, Owner, Coach, Family, No one? (Teammates were the favorite.)